Michael Vick said he was “happy with the decision,” that commissioner Roger Goodell made to allow him to return after two games, but added that he would have been happy even if Goodell had opted for a longer suspension.

Vick: Being back on field is like a dream

Daily News staff

Posted:
Thursday, September 3, 2009, 10:38 PM

Michael Vick said he was “happy with the decision,” that commissioner Roger Goodell made to allow him to return after two games, but added that he would have been happy even if Goodell had opted for a longer suspension.

“It’s still somewhat like a dream stepping out on the field, coming from where I was two years ago and where I have been,” Vick said after seeing extensive action in the Eagles’ loss to the Jets in the preseason finale.

Vick and Andy Reid met with Goodell for 45-50 minutes earlier today, and Vick said he learned of his fate from Reid about 3 hours later.

“I’ve been doing everything I can, doing all the right things, making sure I stay on course,” Vick said. “I was trying to show [Goodell] that I am moving in the right direction, changing my life for the better. I can’t get complacent. I have to stay strong, move forward, continue to trust myself and have faith in myself.”

Vick said he has been trying to “display great judgment,” and do it “in my day-to-day walk of life.”

“I don’t look at it as a suspension and that’s what the commissioner indicated,” Vick said. “It is an opportunity to get myself together, take some time off, do the right things.”

As for on the field, Vick said he was at 90 percent after saying he was at 70 percent after playing last week against Jacksonville. He said he thought it was important that he be able to practice for the next two weeks, although that could depend on how the Eagles handle their roster.

“It’s the small things I have to work on,” Vick said. “Good thing is it is all correctable.”

Asked about the Wildcat, Vick said, “I felt it was more productive. There are a lot of things we can do. I want to help this team in whatever capacity I can and do the things that I know I can do on the football field.”

Vick also heard some ribbing from the Jets fans.

“That’s part of the game,” he said. “Jets fans are great. They went out and demonstrated what true fans are supposed to do … At the same time I felt some love. I understand that is a part of what I have to deal with and any quarterback around this league has to put up with.”

**

After the game, Eagles coach Andy Reid declined to discuss just how the Eagles will handle their roster once Vick is eligible. Vick, who played extensively against the Jets, is eligible to play in Week 3 against the Kansas City Chiefs, according to a decision announced earlier by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.

"We obviously respect his decision 100 percent and support it," Reid said. "Michael, I can't tell you how we will handle it rosterwise until I meet with [general manager Tom Heckert] tomorrow. We'll handle that when it comes ...

"It was great to get [Vick] some work today, to get him some quality snaps in the first half and the second half."

If Vick is on the roster, they must open the season with only 52 eligible players. They can put him on the exempt list, but that would prohibit him from practicing, which would make playing against the Chiefs pretty difficult.

The Eagles have to decide whether they can afford to trade a quarterback – presumably A.J. Feeley – before Vick becomes eligible to play. They might gamble with two eligible QBs. Or, they could trade Feeley and assume that twice-cut Adam DiMichele isn’t doing anything he wouldn’t mind giving up for a few weeks, to make an NFL salary.

As for Kevin Kolb, he was 8-for-16 for 110 yards with one touchdown in his most extensive action of the preseason, and perhaps the season, given the Eagles' current quarterback situation.

“The more time I get, the more comfortable I feel, like any player," Kolb said. "Getting out there today, I think we had like forty-something snaps, we felt awfully comfortable. Hopefully it will continue to be that way and I will just keep working.”

In terms of Kolb's role, Reid said, "Kevin is our No. 2 guy. It depends how we work the roster on game day. I can't tell you how it will work on game days, but Kevin is our No. 2 for the long haul, I can tell you that."

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